


Inner Monster

by ShippingCactus



Series: Original Stories [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst, Animal Traits, Hurt No Comfort, Japanese Character(s), Morally Ambiguous Character, Nonbinary Character, Other, Romantic Friendship, Running Away, Soulmates, Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-15 23:02:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28571946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShippingCactus/pseuds/ShippingCactus
Summary: Kenzo Nakahara and his best friend, Jun Matsuoka, are running away from the police who fear that Kenzo may be a danger to the public. Jun believes that Kenzo's mental health is rapidly declining, but he refuses to make any efforts to help himself. This leaves Jun with very few options and a wavering sense of morality.
Relationships: Original Character(s)/Original Character(s)
Series: Original Stories [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1978934
Kudos: 1





	Inner Monster

A small rock flew down the path, hitting a rusted tin with a loud clang. “Jun, I swear, if you kick  that pebble one more time!” A large, foreboding individual grumbled, turning around to face their companion.

“I-I’m sorry, Kenzo. Please  don’t snap at me. I know we’re in a tight spot right now, but- ”

“‘Tight spot?’ ‘Tight spot?!’ Jun, I hate to break it to you , but not having enough money to eat is a little more than a ‘tight spot ! ’ ” he yelled, ignoring the other’s request and frightening them further.

Jun flinched. Besides towering over him by an additional five inches, Kenzo also had striking snake-like features. When he got this angry, his hood would flare up and his tail would whip, making him quite the  menace . But  Jun was the only person never to show fear, never to let Kenzo know how formidable he appeared. That is, until now. The thing is, Kenzo had been getting  losing his temper more often . He was never perfect. There was always something wrong , even since  the two of them were little. But things had been worsening since  “The Incident.” And, let’s be honest, it is never going to get better.

But, if we are being honest here, we also  have to be honest about Jun for a second. They are not angry or irrational or spiteful like Kenzo. In fact,  if he wanted to, he could probably leave Kenzo and their distressful life for a little bit of normalcy. But, that is his flaw. He cares too much about the wrong people. He thinks too highly of his best friend, Kenzo Nakahara. And this will inevitably result in the downfall of Jun Matsuoka.

Kenzo slipped a granola bar into one of the pockets of his athletic sweatpants, then another. _Jun really likes these_ _,_ _so I should probably get two_ _,_ he thought. He was trying to seem as nonchalant in the convenience store as possible, but he could not help but be at very least a little apprehensive. Doing much of anything is difficult when you are wanted by the government, let alone committing more crimes. _Don’t worry yourself_ _, Kenzo, just don’t_ _look threatening_ _or make eye cont_ _act and everything should be alright._ Before leaving, he managed to slip a small sandwich and a bottle of water into his other pants pocket.

Kenzo slipped out the back door of the convenience store and into the alleyways behind it. He walked to his destination in silence. The backstreets were lined with puddles, scattered litter, and the occasional graffiti on the walls. But it was still noiseless. Any genuine sign of human life was missing. It had been for a while. At the end of all of the twisting and turning maze-like streets was a large estate. It was not much brighter than the alleys and broken roads Kenzo followed to get there. And if you were him you could even consider it darker. After an extensive lack of care and just overall upkeep, the entire place was rotten, even from the inside out.

For starters, there was no front gate or doorway prohibiting outsiders from entering. But once you did gain access to the grounds, you would likely regret it. Not only are its current inhabitants, Kenzo Nakahara and Jun Matsuoka, extremely intimidating with their twisted personalities and fear-inducing animalistic features, but just the land itself is enough to scare the faint of heart away. The garden in the center of the estate has no plants except for a variety of weeds that have grown too fast and too far. They were everywhere. They had even started growing on the walls of the main building, both inside and out. Speaking of the main building, the wood had begun to soften, and you could tell; it creaked every time someone stepped on it. Occasionally the boards would even decompose completely, leaving some halls difficult to navigate without falling through the floor.

Kenzo had made his way to a smaller building on the right, where he and Jun stayed most of the time, and he knocked softly on the side of the door. After taking his shoes off and placing them on the crooked porch in front of the main room, he announced himself in a low tone, “I’m back with our food.” He then looked around the room and noticed Jun sleeping in a corner. Jun always seemed sweeter than Kenzo, whether it be his personality or just his less dreadful appearance, people always liked him more. Not to say Jun was not at least a little scary in their own way. They had bat-like features: large ears, coarse fur growing in patches on his body, and small wings about the length of their arms that extended from their back. Kenzo nudged him lightly with his foot, “Wake up, Jun.”

Jun awoke from his rest slowly and sat up. Kenzo sat down next to him and handed him the granola bars . He then placed the remaining food onto the floorspace between them.

“Aw, that’s sweet, you remembered how much I like these,” Jun said, looking into Kenzo’s eyes.

Kenzo then glanced over at him in response with an additional, “Yeah,” in his generic and quiet voice . It was not that he sounded as if he did not care. In fact, he oftentimes just sounded sad and alone. In a way he had been since “The Incident.” Jun was the only person who was ever around him after that and, beforehand,  they were the only person who treated Kenzo with any  sort of respect or kindness. But Jun had noticed Kenzo beginning to change, beginning to  deteriorate from what seemed to be the inside out .

“ Do you  wanna go to bed?” Jun prompted.

“Hm, why? Isn’t it kinda early?”

“ I don’t know, you just looked more tired today, I guess, ” he fibbed.

Kenzo shrugged. “Fine.” He threw away the trash from their dinner, took Jun’s hand in his own, and walked him to their room. A mattress laid on the floor in the left-hand corner, two old blankets strewed over it.

Jun turned around to face Kenzo and placed his hands on the other’s shoulders. He then lightly pulled Kenzo onto the bed. Jun smiled and then kissed his forehead lightly, giggling sweetly. Kenzo chuckled slightly, but it was nearly completely inaudible, and his joy went by so quickly that if you blinked you would miss it. The two of them preceded to lay down beside each other, but Jun quickly rolled over and faced the wall. _He’s never going to be the same._ _I should’ve enjoyed that moment longer. I’m never going to get another one like it ever again_ _,_ they thought.

Jun had to restrain himself from falling asleep. He laid there listening for Kenzo’s snoring to begin. He had to confirm that his best friend would not wake up while he was gone. He slowly pulled himself off of the mattress and into the center of the room. He had to make sure he remained as quiet as possibly, especially on the creaking floors. Once they had put their shoes on and made it into the center garden, they knew they were safe. They ran off the estate, through one of the nearby alleys, and into the town a few blocks away from where they and Kenzo had been hiding. Unlike a big city, the town was typically quiet at night so Jun did not have to worry about the auditory sensory overload he was susceptible to.

“Aha, there’s one!” he exclaimed. Within his sights was exactly what he had gone out there for, a phone booth. He picked up the phone, dialed the number for the local police,  and then froze.  _ What’s wrong with me? What on earth is wrong with me? Kenzo is my best friend and he trusts me and I’m all he has. How dare I betray him like this?! _

“ What is  the state of your emergency? ”

He stood there, shaking slightly.

“Excuse me? Is anyone there?”

“H-hello. I need the police sent to the Nakahara residence. P-please.” _I cannot believe I just did that._

“Excuse me? Ma’ am? You would like the police sent to the Nakahara residence? ”

Jun hung up the phone. He could guarantee the dispatcher understood his request and was going to send officers to their hideout as soon as possible. _I_ _have to_ _get back to warn him._ Jun cared about Kenzo more than anything in the world. Running from the police, running from what he did, running away from all of his problems was taking its toll on him. And Jun had to do something about it. He bolted down the backroads, through the estate’s garden, and into the side-building bedroom where he and Kenzo had been sleeping since they were staying here. They made sure to open the door slowly, as to not disturb Kenzo in his sleep. But when he opened the door, Kenzo was not asleep. He was sitting on the side of the mattress, looking at the door.

“Where have you been?” he asked . Jun could not tell whether his best friend was  worried for him or angry at him. “Jun?”

“I uh-“ he kept stuttering, not being able to make coherent sentences. They could not seem to explain.   
“You what, Jun? Jun, where were you?” he repeated the initial question, slower this time. His voice was also deeper, angrier. Kenzo stood up completely and walked in front of Jun. His height was no longer perfect for placing your weary head on when you were tired. Instead, his height was scary, an indicator of how easily he could hurt Jun. His tail was whipping back and forth, another gauge of his anger.

“The police are going to be here any minute. You should calm down before they get here,” they managed to choke out.

Kenzo grabbed Jun by the hips and shook him, berating him with a variety of questions : “Did you call the police? Why would you do that? Am I not enough for you? Are we not friends anymore?” At this point he was yelling. Jun’s ears flattened against his head , twitching .

_Please be quieter, please be quieter, please be quieter._ “I did. I called the police.”

Kenzo could not hold his anger in any longer .  He grabbed Jun on the arms, pulled  the smaller-framed  person towards him, and bit down onto his shoulder. He then pushed Jun down onto the floor with enough force  to  knock  him out . Kenzo then collapsed onto the floor himself,  kneeling over the body of  his struggling companion. They could both hear the sirens outside of the building now, but the police would never find them. Not in time. Kenzo picked Jun  up  off the ground and placed him in his lap . At this point Kenzo was starting to cry too .

_ I did it again,  _ he thought, pulling Jun up towards his chest and resting his face into their fluffy  hair. Kenzo was remembering his family : his mother, father,  sisters . The people who used to live here with him, in the main building which was now destroyed, and who no longer live at all. They were all gone because of him . “I’m sorry,” he cried, his mouth  filling with a mixture of saliva,  mucus, and a little bit of venom. “I’m so sorry, Jun.”

Jun’s breathing was getting heavier and his vision was blurring .  Right now the authorities were probably searching around the garden, maybe the main building too. But they were too late. Even if the police walked through the door right now, there was no way they could administer anti-venom in time. Jun was going to die, and they both knew that. A final tear fell down the side of his check as he exhaled for the last time. “I love you,” they said with their dying breath.

Kenzo sat in place in complete shock. He felt like he was going to be sick. He killed his best friend in the entire world  because he could not acknowledge that he had done bad things, that he could hurt people, that he needed help. Utterly disturbed, he dropped Jun’s body onto the ground . If he was not going to pay for his crimes with his life before, he most certainly will now. And quite frankly, it is what he believed he deserved.

“I truly am a monster.”

**Author's Note:**

> This story lowkey would have been longer but I was submitting it for a contest and I had to rush to finish it. I'll probably write more for them in the future (maybe even some positive alternate universes).


End file.
